Epic Outcomes | Coaching & Consulting

I spent the first eight years of my career in children’s book publishing, working closely with highly experienced and brand new authors, helping them cultivate their manuscripts into the strongest, most compelling stories possible for young readers. While I worked on many beginning readers and young adult novels, I spent most of my time in the middle-grade zone, relaunching series like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew for modern readers, and working with authors on short series like May Bird and the Ever After. I didn’t know it then, but this experience would serve as incredible training for the business writing I’d do a lot of, later, in product management & strategy! We often hear that business writing needs to be short, to the point, don’t bury the headline, etc… and, same can be said of writing for 8–12 year olds. While parents are often still buying for kids this age, any parent reading this knows that if an eight year old kid doesn’t like a book, they won’t read it, and that book might go back to the store.

I picked up a bunch of tips and tricks in this time that I still use to this day, and I thought I’d share a few with you in case they’re useful:

• Switch the last paragraph with the first. More than a few times I would read a manuscript that was slow to start (which would be a problem for a young reader) — but then, toward the end: boom! The ending was a totally exciting punch! At some point, I started experimenting with taking the last paragraph and making it the very first, to see what would happen. And often, with a bit of editing, we (the author and I) found we had new compelling beginning. I’ve used this hack many times in recent years on strategies, briefs, decks, and more. The last line might be your opener.
• Grab them on the first page (or lose them, forever). Most eight year olds don’t have patience for slow-building narrative. And, guess what? Neither do most adults! This most often applies to decks, but honestly, it applies to just about every bit of business writing I do these days. If you don’t grab ’em in the first paragraph, slide, or set of bullets, you may lose them for good. This is where the idea of a BLUF comes in handy (bottom line up front), or a TL;DR (too long, don’t read), or whatever format you like. (Also, IMO, you don’t need to write BLUF or TL;DR — just write the thing! But, you do you.)
• Don’t lose a character along the way (unless it’s intentional). I hope you’ve never read a book where you meet a really interesting character in chapter 2, only to never see them again for no apparent reason. Where did they go? This was something that happened more than you might think in early drafts of some of the manuscripts I worked on. Maybe you’ve seen this happen in shows and movies too (I have). Authors would get absorbed in the narrative and forget the character they introduced earlier. In business writing, I’ve seen this sort of thing happen too: a problem introduced without a potential solution, an important data point without a “so what?” Be intentional about what you’re bringing into your doc, be efficient, make sure everything has a spot and that it all connects.
• Show, don’t tell. This is phrase I’d always hear around the editorial floor, in meetings: “Too much telling, not enough showing.” What does this mean, though, and why was it important? Because when you show the story, and really bring it to life for the reader, it’s more engaging. Think of “showing” like teasing all the senses, helping the reader really feel the moment. For example, I could write: “I had a really good dinner last night: chicken, peas and carrots.” OR, I could write: “The smell of lemon pepper and rosemary permeated the air as I turned the corner to the kitchen to find a perfectly crisped, roasted chicken loaded with rich, buttered carrots and kelly green, still-crisp spring peas.” Which one of these descriptions has your mouth watering right now? This same concept applies to business writing, especially in a pitch. If you’re selling a vision, think about how to paint the picture: write the future you’re aiming for. Consider how you can invite your audience to experience what you see, as vividly as possible. (This is where a visual could come in handy, too.)

I’d love to hear any additional tips and hacks you have to make business writing easier and better!